Ariel Sharon

Kevin Frayer / Getty

A former army general, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was truly larger than life: he once joked that despite numerous threats against his life, he didn't wear body armor because they didn't make bulletproof vests in his size. Sharon suffered a massive stroke on Jan. 4, 2006, and slipped into a coma, from which he shows little sign of recovering. In May 2006, he was moved to Sheba Hospital in Tel Aviv. "We are talking about long-term treatment," Dr. Zeev Rotstein, hospital chief, told reporters at the time. He was declared incapacitated three months after the stroke, and he was succeeded by his deputy, Ehud Olmert.